Part 1

S1 E1: As Muhammad Ali approaches his epic first fight with Joe Frazier in 1971, we look back on his childhood as Cassius Clay in Louisville, KY; his amateur career, which culminated in a Golden Gloves triumph and a 1960 Olympic Gold Medal in the light-heavyweight division; and his ascension to heavyweight champion, when he "shocked the world" in 1964 as an arrogant 22-year-old by beating Sonny Liston. After converting to Islam and forging close ties with Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad, Cassius changed his name to Muhammad Ali, beat Liston again, and defended his championship seven more times before being stripped of his title in 1967 for refusing to be drafted into the Army to fight in Vietnam. Exonerated after three long years, Ali returned to the ring in 1970, where he pummeled Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena before agreeing to a "Fight of the Century" in New York's Madison Square Garden against the unbeaten Joe Frazier.